---
title:  Changing the File Specifications
---

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You can change all file specifications in the `gemfire.properties` file and at the command line.

**Note:**
Geode applications can use the API to pass `java.lang.System properties` to the distributed system connection. This changes file specifications made at the command line and in the `gemfire.properties`. You can verify an application’s property settings in the configuration information logged at application startup. The configuration is listed when the `gemfire.properties` `log-level` is set to `config` or lower.

This invocation of the application, `testApplication.TestApp1`, provides non-default specifications for both the `cache.xml` and `gemfire.properties`:

``` pre
java -Dgemfire.cache-xml-file=
/gemfireSamples/examples/dist/cacheRunner/queryPortfolios.xml
-DgemfirePropertyFile=defaultConfigs/gemfire.properties
testApplication.TestApp1
```

The gfsh start server command can use the same specifications:

``` pre
gfsh>start server
-J-Dgemfire.cache-xml-file=/gemfireSamples/examples/dist/cacheRunner/queryPortfolios.xml
-J-DgemfirePropertyFile=defaultConfigs/gemfire.properties
```

You can also change the specifications for the `cache.xml` file inside the `gemfire.properties` file.

**Note:**
Specifications in `gemfire.properties` files cannot use environment variables.

Example `gemfire.properties` file with non-default `cache.xml` specification:

``` pre
#Tue May 09 17:53:54 PDT 2006
mcast-address=192.0.2.0
mcast-port=10333
locators=
cache-xml-file=/gemfireSamples/examples/dist/cacheRunner/queryPortfolios.xml
```
